With the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the New York Atlas earned a first-round bye and will play their first playoff game Sept. 7, facing the victor of the Boston Cannons-Carolina Chaos matchup.

New York is 1-1 against Boston this season and 1-0 against Carolina.

Why the Atlas can win the Cash App Championship

The Atlas have one of the most complete rosters in the league, and the schemes to pair with it. 

They boast a complete midfield, which – combined with Trevor Baptiste’s prowess at the stripe – has led to a major turnaround in efficiency within the 32-second shot clock from last season. The coaches trust Baptiste to surface with the ball, keeping scoring midfielders like Dox Aitken on the wing and allowing the team to get into offensive sets sooner. Baptiste has also stayed on the field and set a few picks to get the offense rolling.

Staying in the middle of the field, the Atlas’ transition defense nowhere mimics the patchwork of last season, and the defense is younger, faster and more physical, too.

Then there is, of course, Jeff Teat. The quarterback of the highest-scoring offense in the league responsible for making the wheels turn. He sees shots others can’t. He makes passes others can’t. He squeezes the ball into windows others can’t.

Jeff Teat to Payton Cormier is poetry. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/vnTseXrMhE

— New York Atlas (@PLLAtlas) August 20, 2024

Why the Atlas could lose in the Cash App Playoffs

New York has buffered when coming off the bye.

The Atlas’ loss to the Maryland Whipsnakes on June 28 was after a league-wide bye, and the loss to the Cannons on July 20 was after the All-Star break. Two of their three losses this season came after a week off, and their semifinal matchup comes after a two-week pause.

Beneficial for the Atlas this time around is the ability to practice and keep at it during the week of the quarterfinals while four other teams see action.

“We have to be able to stay sharp and not lose the momentum and skills we’ve put together as a team because we have had a decent amount of byes and time off,” Aitken said. “It’s just a matter of how we can stay sharp. Being able to practice in that bye week will be super positive for us.”

X-factor

That’d be Teat. 

The league leader in points, scoring points, one-point goals and assists, Teat surpassed every expectation for him this season after scoring a career-low 11 goals in 2023. A year later, he more than doubled his 2023 points total with 64 en route to smashing the PLL single-season points record.

The scheme down low on O? 

“Keep giving the ball to Jeff,” Aitken said last week after making a surprise return to attack. “We’re working around him.”

Key stat: 36.4%

Heading into the season finale in Utah, the Atlas led the league in the short-frame efficiency, converting on 36.4% of possessions during the 32-second shot clock after a won faceoff. Last season, New York scored on just 20.7% of such possessions.

The next most efficient team within the short frame this season is the Denver Outlaws (28.4%). The league average is 23.7%.